Barbara Harb, Economic Development Manager

While Barbara Harb has been serving the City of Manteca as its Economic Development Manager for only a year and a half, she has lived in south San Joaquin County for more than 25 years and, as a result, knows a great deal about Manteca’s strengths and opportunities.

Asked why she wanted to work for the City she said, “With all of the housing interest in the area, I felt I could help Manteca leverage its premier, Central California location and the City’s significant growth to attract higher-quality retail and entertainment businesses, and higher-paying jobs to our community.

She points out that she also has a passion for serving small businesses, such as those in Manteca’s historic downtown.  “I truly have a passion for revitalizing downtowns to become destinations for families and friends to gather, enjoy great food, and shop…while simultaneously preserving its rich history, cultural value, and unique charms.“

Harb continues, “I knew Manteca was a special community even before being employed by the City; and now, as the City’s Economic Development Manager, I am privileged to work alongside an enormously dedicated team of professionals who share the same customer-focused, outcome-driven approach to serving our community.”

“I think what I enjoy most about the City of Manteca is working with our development team to streamline the development process for new developments coming to Manteca,”  Harb says that she understands that the permitting process can be confusing and complicated; and that wasted time is wasted money.

“Therefore, one of our top priorities in Economic Development is to help businesses navigate through the process and open up as quickly as possible. In fact, she feels her experience working with new businesses allows her to observe the process from the customers’ perspective and recommend improvements,” Harb observes.

A day typically begins with Harb managing her email.  After that, she works with the individuals who contact the City to ask about available properties, renewing a business license, permitting process and requirements, local and regional grant funding, and attending collaborative meetings with local and regional agencies.

There are also meetings to discuss new developments and marketing meetings.  “On the best days, I’ll attend a Chamber coffee or ribbon cutting for a new business,” Harb adds. “The very best day will be when I finally get that call from Trader Joe’s!”

In addition to all that, the Economic Development team works on gathering and compiling data to help promote the value of a Manteca location.

They secure information from several data sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, ESRI, Placer.ai, University of the Pacific, San Joaquin County, California Department of Finance, Employment Development Department, and other independently commissioned studies.

“We use these data to design advertisements and marketing materials for promoting the City.  It all helps us put together a compelling story as to why Manteca is a smart investment and a great place to live,” Harb concludes.

About the City of Manteca

Manteca is a full-service City with police, fire, public works, water, trash and sewer services. For more information, call the City Manager’s office at (209) 456-8000, email: Feedback@manteca.gov, or go online to https://www.manteca.gov.

Incorporated in 1918, Manteca has a diverse population of 88,772. Manteca grew at 24.4 percent from 2010-2020 and continues to grow at an accelerated pace. The City has 28,454 households with a median home price of $500,017. The median annual household income is $90,640.